MANY HOLIDAY VISITORS

Evening Star, Issue 25067, 7 January 1944, Page 2

MANY HOLIDAY VISITORS

HEAVY HOTEL BOOKINGS Oasual visitors to Dunedin for the holidays, who arrived without making definite booking at hotels or boarding houses, have encountered the greatest difficulty in obtaining accommodation. Hotel bookings have been extremely heavy since the beginning of the holidays, and practically no accommodation'will be available until the end of January or early in February, according to the district manager of the Tourist Department (Mr 11. G. Sincock). Nest week there will be an influx or hundreds of bowlers for the New Zealand championship tournament, and many will be accompanied by their wives. . While a certain number will stav privately with friends or relations, the" majority will; be seeking accommodation in hotels or boarding houses, and the committee controlling the tournament has found it necessary to arrange billeting for many of the visitors.

As the holiday traffic is still heavy, it is considered that during the 10 days from the beginning of the bowling tournament next Wednesday Dunedin will have the largest number of visitors since the Exhibition year. With record entries, the tournament will be perhaps the biggest sporting event ever held in New Zealand. The movement of holiday visitors back to their homes continues, but many people now in Dunedin are unable to arrange passages by the Lyttelton-Wellington steamer express before January 16 or 18.

Many who came south left their return arrangements indefinite. and are now unable to resume work on the appointed date or to comply with direction orders from the man power authorities. Such tourist resorts as Q.ueenstown, Wanaka, and Stewart Island would have had many more visitors during the holidays had accommodation been available. ' Accommodation will lie available at Wanaka and Stewart Island uext week, but it will be a week later before it oan be obtained at Queenstowu.